PRODUCT: PLAYKIDS APP | CLIENT: PLAYKIDS | KEY ROLES: Creative Direction, UI/UX, Illustration
PK Pet is a virtual pet game released in 2019 for PlayKids, an app with more than 4 million monthly users.
It was a blast of a project, developed by a talented small team in about a month. After launch, the PlayKids App saw a 10% increase in session time in the games category.
It was a blast of a project, developed by a talented small team in about a month. After launch, the PlayKids App saw a 10% increase in session time in the games category.
A little help
It all started when one of the devs asked me a favor to create some textures for a 3D dinosaur they'd bought for a test project.
After asking some questions about the project, I gave him some ideas that led to team meetings, lo-fi prototypes, user flows, tests and - in no time - I was already part of the team :)
After asking some questions about the project, I gave him some ideas that led to team meetings, lo-fi prototypes, user flows, tests and - in no time - I was already part of the team :)
User flow overview
Creating Connection
Let's give some life to our buddy.
We defined the character's outer-space origin to explore the relationship between a creature growing in a strange planet and the - somehow similar - struggles of our users (kids from 2 to 5).
At this time the ”house” had became a strong case for our pet's playground. So, we focused on the gameplay elements while maintaining a familiar link to our users life experience.
Character and render explorations
Scenery/background study
Time to Play
Selling the idea of a real, needy, character was essential to keep the user coming back. Though his personality was winning hearts, the interactions with him should feel rewarding enough for the player to play again and again.
After some tests, creating a toy-like interface, adding lots of micro interactions and Easter eggs proved the way to go.
After some tests, creating a toy-like interface, adding lots of micro interactions and Easter eggs proved the way to go.
Mini games like painting, memory and puzzle kept the pet entertained
Animations references made with Figma
This project taught me a lot of how a united small team can pack a punch when we embrace collaboration.
Aligning vision, expectations and putting a lot of care on delivering a great experience can generate real impact for the users and the company.